During the COVID-19 pandemic, many Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) providers switched from in-clinic or in-person, to telehealth services. As a result, telehealth services have been increasing in frequency over the last 5 or so years. While telehealth services in ABA can be incredibly beneficial, parents must work with their ABA team to determine if telehealth services are appropriate for their family. Here are some benefits and considerations for telehealth, and key points to consider when deciding whether or not it is right for your child and your family.
Benefits
Location
If you are in a rural location or traveling frequently, telehealth services allow your ABA team to support you wherever you are. Registered Behavior Technicians, or RBTs, can provide telehealth services remotely in some circumstances. In addition, Board Certified Behavior Analysts or BCBAs can provide supervision for RBTs or parent training remotely, which increases treatment consistency and reliability, and helps support parents no matter where they are. Remote services can also occur in the community for some insurance companies, which helps support your child in a variety of settings.
Flexibility
For working families, remote services offer greater flexibility. Parent training can be held virtually at different times to accommodate your family’s needs. Even if the center is closed, whether it be on a weekend or evening, virtual parent trainings or ABA sessions can still be held.
Illness and Weather
Children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis are more likely to have co-occurring conditions, some of which may affect their immune systems (Al-Beltagi, 2021). As a result, the cold and flu season may look different for these children. Even if an RBT is in the home, telehealth services help prevent the spread of illness by removing additional supervisors who can provide supervision through telehealth.
Natural Settings
The home is a natural environment for your child. This is where they will learn and grow. Having services in the home with telehealth supervision helps your child learn new skills in a safe and comfortable environment before generalizing them to other settings.
Cost and Efficiency
In ABA, consistency is key. There is easier availability and less barriers such as weather, distance traveled, and illness. This means that there may be less cancellations and more consistency for your family. It also removes barriers of cost in terms of gas for your car, transportation fees, or additional resources needed to physically get to a clinic.
Parent Involvement and Learning
Parents play a key role in telehealth sessions, which means they are learning interventions and prompting methods directly from ABA staff. This helps parents generalize these skills outside of the session and into different settings.
Considerations
Distractions
For some children, engagement through telehealth services may be difficult. Pets, siblings, toys, and technology may be a barrier to engaging with the RBT or BCBA through the computer. Parents will need to be physically present to redirect the client in these cases.
Prompting and Interventions
Since the BCBA and/or RBT is not physically present, parents are responsible for providing any prompting and interventions. Extensive parent training may be needed to ensure the parents are able to provide this level of prompting and procedures. This may also limit skills taught to goals or interventions that do not require physical prompting or guidance.
Requirements from Parents
Parents must be available throughout the entire session and may be required to be actively participating the entire time. This can be difficult for working families, and can even be overwhelming at times for some parents and caregivers.
Availability and Accessibility
Not all families have access to computers, tablets, or internet access that can handle telehealth sessions. In addition, internet access can be unstable due to weather conditions or outages.
Preparation and Decisions
What type of service is best for my child?
As a parent, you know your child best. Make notes of what needs your child has, what type of support they require, their communication level, behaviors they engage in, and their ability to attend. Your ABA team will be able to help you go through this information and determine what type of services may be best for your child. Hybrid services may be available, which include both in person and remote services.
Expectations and Requirements
Review expectations and requirements with your provider. Are you required to be present throughout the entire session? Do you have the internet, technology, and distraction free space required?
Accessibility
Check with your ABA provider to see if they have clinicians who are available to provide ABA services remotely. In addition, check with your insurance company to see if telehealth services are covered.
Conclusion
Telehealth ABA services can be accommodating and effective, while providing the right level of support for many children and their families. Flexibility, consistency, and comfort all play a huge role in making remote services a great option for some, while accessibility, hands-on learning, and distractions may be barriers for others. Nevertheless, remote services can still provide the high quality and personalized services that Acclaim Autism prides itself on providing for your child and your family.
To make an informed decision about whether or not telehealth is right for your family, reach out today at acclaimautism.com.
For more reading on this topic, please check out the following resources:
Al-Beltagi, M. (2021). Autism medical comorbidities. World Journal of Clinical Pediatrics, 10(3), 15–28. https://doi.org/10.5409/wjcp.v10.i3.15
(This blog offers general educational information and is not medical advice. Always consult your child’s clinicians for individualized recommendations.)
